I'm a seasoned blogger who writes about Judaism, religion, ethnicity, race and the intersection of it all on my blog, www.blackgayjewish.com. The V-Word is about food. Healty food, kosher food, tasty food, forbidden food...with a veggie twist, maybe.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

What's For Dinner Tonight?

Spicy Tofu Tacos on Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

Day Three of this mission to change the way that I eat to positively improve my health seems to be going okay. I don't feel particularly different, but I know, based on books and websites, that the foods I'm putting into my body now are far better than say that quarter of a cupcake (and half of a black and white cookie) I ate at a staff meeting today.

I've been craving Mexican-style food all week and tonight I thought I'd try a twist on tacos minus the seasoned beef, the shredded cheese, and sour cream. I was pretty sure that anything I cooked would taste like a cheap imitation of the real thing-four tacos later (they were small) I'm patting myself on the back. These tofu tacos kicked ass! Tacos are easy, there isn't a "recipe" just fry some tofu with some seasoning (I used salt, pepper, cumin, and chipotle seasoning) add raw veggies and you're done. I added black beans that I'd simmered with spices and onions and made the tortillas, but store-bought ones are fine as well. It felt indulgent to have four tacos, but knowing that I'd made everything myself made it taste even better.

Here's the Homemade Whole Wheat Tortilla recipe I used tonight. I substituted whole wheat flour for regular and used grapeseed oil instead of vegetable oil. I also added pepper and garlic powder to the dough for extra flavor. I don't own a tortilla press and found that the back of a frying pan and a floured cutting board works just fine as long as you remember to flour both of them. Besides the tofu and beans I filled the warm tortillas with shredded green kale, sliced red peppers, diced tomatoes, and sliced avocados. I squeezed some lime on the whole thing before eating.

Recipe Notes:
This Recipe is Vegan and Parve

Some Food Nutrition Notes:
Tomatoes and Red Peppers are great sources of lycopene which is thought to protect against cancer specifically prostate, testicular, and cervical cancer.
Dark leafy greens like Kale are great sources of lutein which dramatically impacts eye health. Lutein also has the ability to prevent clogged arteries, combat arthritis, and discourage colon, lung, prostate, and ovarian cancers as well as thickening artery walls. Let's hear it for Kale!
Thanks to Heidi Swanson and her book Super Natural Cooking for the nutritional information.

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About Me

Thanks for visiting my site! My name is Erika and I'm a full-spectrum, holistic doula living, working and loving in Brooklyn, NY.
When I'm not doula-ing, I'm making homemade products for Mamas and babes in my kitchen, knitting or doing yoga.
I'm a Jewish diversity advocate and have written and spoken at a variety of publications and events. I also maintain a personal blog about being a black, gay Jew.